Best Male Singers of the 20th Century

Merle Haggard. I ignored this thread thinking it was all about opera types. Sam Cooke as someone says above had the best voice and comes in second in my book. Merle Haggard.

Er, um, I think that Mario Lanza was born the year Caruso died. Not exactly contemporaries. My guess was Gigli.

Adamanteus & Kevziek, I just went back and read Kevziek's comment, and agree 100%. That's why my vote for the single, sole, only best singer of the 20th C is Merle Haggard. I did like William Bolcom (sp?) a lot. Opera singers are a dime a dozen. Real men who can interpret real men's songs are few and far between.

I dont know. I said my guess is Beniamino Gigli. Maybe somebody should send an Audiogon email to Tubegroover and ask him.

Ok, sent an email. Before he responds, let me guess again; John McCormack.

No one has heard of him. Proves your point, I suppose. Although, everything that happens in popular culture now is preserved on videotape and computer discs and there is so much interest in "historical" retrospectives on film and tv, I would guess that someone like Sinatra, who with his movies and tv appearances had a wider audience, might still be remembered 100 years from now.

Oh, Tubegroover, I agree. Sinatra as a personality. One issue is the material. Some people do still sing and listen to Danny Boy and I Hear You Calling Me. I can't imagine anyone listening to anything Sinatra did 100 years from now. Maybe someone else would be a better example.